The Great Hunt
by petersnightmare
Summary: Spiderman faces a great challenge. What is at stake? His mask.
1. Chapter 1

The Great Hunt

by petersnightmare

The young man approached the house with trepidation. He had long heard the stories of the man he was to meet. Indeed he knew that the life he was about to begin was one of danger, yet one of purpose. He believed in the mission he was to undertake. He just did not feel prepared. But that was why he was coming here. Here he would learn all he needed to be prepared. As his nerves peaked, he rang the old doorbell. At first there was no answer. Surely there must be some mistake. He tried again. Perhaps the old doorbell did not work. The house was older than any he had ever seen. It was a dilapidated mansion. The kind he had seen in books. The man who had summoned him was supposed to be dead. Maybe he was really dead after all.

"Enter," a voice called to him as the door opened. He walked in and saw the man he was to meet. The man was misshapen and seemed to have trouble walking. His every breath seemed to be a labor. "Do not be shy, my boy," the man said, "you are here for a reason."

"Forgive me, sir," he told the man, "I was not expecting..."

"You were not expecting me to appear so frail," the man asked.

"No, I was not," he answered. He had expected to see a great man; a powerful man. How could this shell of a man be the one to teach him about the hunt.

"Make no mistake, my young friend," the man said, "you stand in the presence of Kraven the Hunter!"

"Forgive me, but how can that be," he asked.

"Ah, yes," Kraven said, "my current state of physical being startles you."

"No, I meant that...," he said.

"It is alright," Kraven said, "I will tell you." Kraven led the young man to a great room. He motioned for the young man to sit in a chair. Kraven sat down across from him and explained, "You see, it was the potion I took to gain my abilities which robbed me of my youth and my very life. I had the formula wrong." Kraven paused in his own regret. "I did not realize that the potion would turn me into the old man before you. The effects of so many exposures have left me weak." Kraven sat up in his chair. "You will be spared its effects. I have chosen you to carry my legacy, not my burden."

"I am honored," the young man told Kraven.

"That is as it should be," Kraven said. "I have taken great pains to find a worthy successor. And now you sit here in my home destined to assume that title. You, Kevin Hendrick, shall be the next Kraven!"

Spiderman swung across the city toward the ESU campus. For once he was on time for class. "It's nice to make it on time," he thought. As Spiderman, Peter Parker had found it hard to properly pursue his studies. His recent defeat of the remaining members of the Sinister Six was easier than he had imagined and there had been no activity from any of NYC's super-criminals since. Spiderman was happy to stop muggings and car thefts. It was a welcome change of pace. Spiderman slipped into a safe place to change into his street clothes. Peter went to class without a care on his mind.

It had been a few days since Kevin had met Kraven. He was chosen from many to be Kraven's successor, though neither he nor the others knew that was the goal. Kraven had secretly commissioned a hunting game for ten qualified applicants. Kevin had prevailed over the others in a hunt for loins in Africa. The hunt involved no weapons. Using his wit and prowess, Kevin was able to kill several loins bare-handed and by all accounts rather mercilessly. Now he was training to capture a new prize. As he trained he felt the thrill of the hunt consume him. On Kraven's property he was hunting animals like none he had seen before. Mutated beasts were his prey. Beasts unimaginable to most people. He caught them all, instructed not to kill them, but to bring them to Kraven himself. The goal was to conquer. Kevin was exceeding Kraven's own accomplishments in this new, strange arena.

"Come to me, boy," Kraven told Kevin as Kevin presented him with a captured beast. "Let us retire to the house for a moment."

"As you wish," Kevin said. He knew that he was to hunt a great prey. His training was not without purpose. But what would it be? He had an idea.

"Do you know why you are here," Kraven asked.

"I think so," Kevin said. "I think I am here to hunt Spiderman."

"Very perceptive," Kraven told him. Kevin was delighted to learn this. He hated Spiderman. He hated the thought of Spiderman running free and without a proper foe. Two years before, Spiderman had captured Kevin as he tried to break into a jewelry store. He spent a year in prison as a result and was waiting for his chance to exact his revenge. "You are familiar with the being known as The Tinkerer, no," Kraven asked.

"I've heard stories," Kevin said.

"Of course you have," Kraven said and pulled a large curtain open. Behind it was a battle suit. It was modeled after Kraven himself. "This is your new weapon."

"I don't understand," Kevin said.

"Instead of taking the potion, you will wear this to gain the enhanced abilities the potion offers," Kraven told him. "The Tinkerer built it for you."

"A suit to make me a great hunter like you," Kevin asked.

"Do not be so vain," Kraven said. "It is a weapon to make you a great hunter."

"How can it do that," Kevin asked.

"It is programmed to mimic my own actions while it adjusts to yours," Kraven said. "You will use it to gain the greatest prize I could not obtain."

"Which is," Kevin asked Kraven.

"The mask of Spiderman," Kraven told him.


	2. Chapter 2

The Great Hunt Ch. 2

Spiderman swung through NYC on a cool Saturday evening. A few days ago, he had a lively battle with the Scorpion and the Shocker where he disabled their costumes and put both men behind bars. It seemed that most of the super-criminal types were either behind bars or inactive. Spiderman was in a good mood. "This is nice," he thought as he perched on the ledge of the Chrysler building, "not a care in the world."

The Hunter watched from a distance. He had been tracking Spiderman all night. The advanced surveillance equipment in his suit was working perfectly. He watched as Spiderman leapt off of the Chrysler building and swung away. The Hunter activated his boot jets and followed his prey. Like any good hunter, he knew he had to learn his prey. He would not strike yet. First, he wanted to figure Spiderman's habits out. The suit he wore was a technological marvel. Not only did it allow him flight and advanced surveillance, it also afforded him super-strength, enhanced his already formidable agility and hand-to-hand fighting abilities, and bent light to allow him to be invisible. The suit also had a unique array of tranquilizer darts, energy nets, and anti-adhesive sprays which were designed to counter Spiderman's wall-crawling powers. The Tinkerer had made for him the ultimate weapon to hunt Spiderman. Kraven christened him The Hunter. Kevin Hendrick was no more. Now there was only The Hunter.

Spiderman was blissfully unaware of the man pursuing him. In a stark contrast, The Hunter took great pains to lay back enough so he would not trigger Spiderman's spider-sense, yet he remained close enough to watch his prey. The Hunter was attentive to every detail of his prey.

"Not much going on tonight," Spiderman thought. He descended into an alley to change into his street clothes. "I think I'll go for a cup of coffee and go home."

The Hunter hovered far above the alley as he watched Spiderman change. "Can't get too close," The Hunter thought, "but he's taking that mask off." Truly a dilemma. "No, I'll wait."

Peter walked out of the alley and felt a slight buzz from his spider-sense, but he passed it off. "Oh well," he thought, "whatever it was, it's gone now."

How right Peter was. The Hunter made his way back to Kraven's mansion. Once inside, he removed his suit and pulled a robe on.

"Report, Hunter," Kraven said as he slowly entered the chamber where Kevin had been training and where his suit was stored.

"He didn't have a clue that I was out there," Kevin said. "I tailed him all night and I even saw him change into his regular clothes. He didn't react at all."

"You saw his face then," Kraven asked.

"No, sir," Kevin said, his head down in shame, "I didn't want to alert his stupid spider-sense."

"A prudent precaution," Kraven told him. That made Kevin feel better. "And how did your suit function?"

"Perfectly. I tried everything out and it was perfect," Kevin said excitedly.

"Excellent," Kraven said. "If one is to be a super-powered criminal, one needs the proper weapons."

Up until this point, Kevin did not think of himself as a super-criminal, just a hunter; but, he liked the sound of it. Maybe after he defeated Spiderman, he could continue to hunt and unmask other heroes.

"I feel this is only the beginning, sir," Kevin told Kraven.

"So it would seem," Kraven agreed and smiled.

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Peter woke up early Sunday morning and got out of bed. His costume was laying on the floor. He picked it up and hung it in the closet. He took a shower, dried, and put on a pair of white briefs. "What to eat," he wondered aloud. After breakfast, he put his costume on and went on an early morning patrol. For the first two hours or so there was no action. Then he saw a man breaking into an old, abandoned building. "Here we go," he thought.

The man had already entered the building by the time Spiderman made his way into it. Inside it was dark and damp. "What could anybody possibly want in here," Spiderman thought. Then it clicked. "This is Lansky's old hideout," he realized. Lansky was of course the costumed villain known as Lightmaster. But Lansky was out of commission, turned into a being of light. "So who's this guy?"

"You? Here," Lightmaster said in disbelief.

"No really...you? Here," Spiderman said. "Something tells me Lansky would be mad you're wearing his clothes."

"Ah, yes, you mean the costume," Lightmaster said.

"Well...yeah," Spiderman told him, "duh!"

"You'll be relieved to know that Dr. Lansky himself directed me to this very location to become Lightmaster in his place," Lightmaster said.

"You do know that I just beat a whole bunch of losers in other people's costumes and they were a joke, right," Spiderman asked this Lightmaster. "This is like a bad plot that's been used before."

"Is it," Lightmaster asked. He fired a photon beam at Spiderman that blinded the hero for a few seconds. Spiderman was able to rely on his spider-sense to guide him, though it was not fast enough to allow him to dodge the next blast. The blast sent Spiderman flying out of the building onto the pavement outside.

"You may have had an easy time with the others, but I'm afraid I shall prove a worthy challenge," Lightmaster proclaimed arrogantly. Before Spiderman could get his bearings, Lightmaster hit him with another blast of photon energy. This one hit Spiderman directly. "You see, Spiderman, my suit allows me to see through the blinding light to continue my assault!" He fired again and hit Spiderman with yet another photon blast.

The photon blasts of Lightmaster's suit were not as painful as they were annoying to Spiderman. He could not take many more, but it was not like he was battling Doc Ock or the Green Goblin. It was Lightmaster. At best he was a B-Grade villain. Maybe C-Grade.

"I didn't expect to face you so soon, Spiderman," Lightmaster said, "but, now that I have the opportunity to destroy, I think I'll seize it!"

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Above the battle, The Hunter hovered silently in invisibility. "Should I stop that costumed fool," he asked over his radio.

"Only if the tide truly turns," Kraven told him. "Though Spiderman is your prey, this man will present little challenge to his might."

"You respect him don't you," The Hunter asked.

"As I respect all of my prey," Kraven said defensively. "Watch him. Learn from him."

"As you wish," The Hunter replied.

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Spiderman evaded the photon blasts of Lightmaster easily. In the sun light the photon blasts were not as blinding and this Lightmaster was getting desperate.

"Stay still," Lightmaster said in frustration.

"Are you serious," Spiderman asked. He jumped all over the place as Lightmaster fired at him. "I'm just killing time here."

"This is ridiculous! I'll destroy you! You'll grow tired eventually," Lightmaster said as he fired over and over.

"You've noticed that I haven't webbed you up yet, right," Spiderman asked Lightmaster. "Pretty soon that suit of yours is going to run out of its charge and you'll be some guy in a cheesy costume."

"He's right," Lightmaster thought. He took to the air to escape Spiderman. "Another time, web-head," Lightmaster said as he flew away.

"How about right now," Spiderman asked. He fired a web-line that ensnared Lightmaster in mid-air.

"Nooooo," Lightmaster cried.

"Don't leave now. We've got to get your suit off and take you to jail for breaking and entering and stealing the suit and for bad aim and for being all-around a not nice guy," Spiderman said as Lightmaster tried to pull himself free of the webs.

"I can blast through this webbing," Lightmaster said. He fired his photon blasts at the webs, but to no avail. "Noooooo!"

"My webbing is heat resistant, so you're stuck," Spiderman told him. "And I know that suit doesn't have super-strength, so I'll just let you wear yourself down."

"No, no, no," Lightmaster said as he tried to blast through the webs. Finally his suit gave out, drained of its limited charge.

"You know that suit had to have been in there for a long time," Spiderman said. "You had to have known that it was old and useless."

"Oh, shut up, Spiderman," Lightmaster said.

Spiderman pulled Lightmaster free of the webs and unzipped the suit in the back. "Alright, please be kind enough to step out of the unitard and go to jail."

The man complied and stood in his navy blue briefs as Spiderman webbed him up. "Who are you," Spiderman asked.

"A new enemy of yours," the man warned.

"Oooh, scary," Spiderman said, mocking the man, "don't use your super blue undies to hurt me!"

Spiderman carried the man and the Lightmaster suit to the police.

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"You were right," The Hunter said into his radio, "that fool was no match for Spiderman."

"As I told you, Spiderman is powerful," Kraven replied. "Do not underestimate the man he just defeated. Spiderman knew how to defeat him. That is the key to victory."

"Yes, I see," The Hunter said. "I am learning about my prey."

"Be patient, Hunter," Kraven said, "your time will come. For now you must continue to learn."


	3. Chapter 3

The Great Hunt

Ch. 3

It was late on Monday night as Spiderman rushed to the scene of an attack by his old nemesis Venom. He had heard on the news that Venom was attacking a shipyard in Manhattan. As he arrived, he saw several panicked workers fleeing the scene. A large ship was docked and the men were running out of it. Several police cars surrounded them. As each man ran to the police, he was arrested.

"Wonder what's going on," Spiderman thought to himself. He swung onto the ship undetected. The police seemed to have their hands full with the workers. He made his way below decks and searched for Venom. Nothing. There was no sound to guide him. His spider-sense was useless against Venom. How could he find him before someone got killed?

"We were wondering when you would show up," Venom said from behind Spiderman.

"Never mind," Spiderman thought, "I guess he found me." He turned to face Venom.

"We thought you would want to help us here," Venom said, snarling.

"Come on, Brock, you know I'm one of the good guys," Spiderman told Venom, "you're gonna kill somebody."

"They deserve it, Parker," Venom said, "this ship is full of drugs."

"Let me guess," Spiderman said, "you're gonna stop them from dealing drugs. You're back to trying to be a hero again."

"We knew you would speak to us that way," Venom said. "We took precautions this time."

Venom was shrouded in darkness. Spiderman had no idea what to expect. Then he felt the first strand of Venom's webbing ensnare him. He tried to struggle free, but in the confines of the narrow hallway of the ship, he was helpless. In seconds, Spiderman was tangled in Venom's webs.

"We have decided that you should face justice once and for all, Parker," Venom said.

"Let me guess," Spiderman said, "you're going to eat my brain."

"Not this time, Parker," Venom said, "we will let the policemen have you."

Venom carried Spiderman to the top deck of the ship.

"We have captured the worst criminal of all," Venom proclaimed to the police officers gathered below. Several of the officers turned and looked up at Venom.

"That thing has Spiderman," one officer said.

"We think you'll hate this part," Venom said.

"If you mean your breath you're right," Spiderman said.

"Before we give him to you, we want to show you his face," Venom said.

"Brock! What are talking about," Spiderman asked frantically as he struggled in the webbing.

"It's time to let some fresh air into your lungs, Spiderman," Venom said. He reached down and pulled Spiderman's mask off.

"Noooooooooooo," Spiderman cried as he was held helpless in the grip of Venom's webs.

Venom tossed the mask onto the deck of the ship. Peter saw several officers rushing up the ramp to meet him and Venom.

"Brock! What are you doing? My face," Peter protested.

"Don't worry, Parker we're sure they have a cell in the Vault just for you," Venom told Peter.

Suddenly all of the police officers rushing up the ramp fell down unconscious. A figure appeared before Venom and Peter. Peter turned his face so the person could not recognize him.

"What have we here," Venom asked as he released Peter. Peter quickly pulled his mask back on and watched the man materialize before him. It was a man in a costume. It was a skin-tight costume with black pants, a shirt with a lion head on it, and a plain black mask with no apparent eye holes.

"You face the Hunter, creature," the Hunter said in a commanding voice.

"We forgot to tremble, little man," Venom said as he fired a webline at the mysterious man.

The Hunter flew up in the air and fired an energy net that ensnared Venom.

"This is supposed to hold us," Venom asked.

"I think it will," the Hunter said. Indeed, Venom struggled to no avail. "Now, I will release the man from the symbiote." The Hunter pushed a button on his belt and watched as Venom writhed in agony.

"Stop! You'll kill him," Spiderman protested. He fired a webline at the Hunter. Though his webbing made contact with the Hunter's costume it did not stick. The Hunter was too high for Spiderman to leap and catch him.

"No, Spiderman, he will live," the Hunter said as Eddie Brock emerged from the symbiote. The Hunter pushed another button on his belt and Brock was released from the energy net. "The monster that consumed him will die."

"No! They can't be separated," Spiderman argued.

The symbiote let out a final cry as the Hunter's energy net glowed an intense light all around it.

"No! You can't kill us," Brock shouted.

The symbiote fell to the deck of the ship as the energy net dissipated. It melted into a pile of goo.

"It is done," the Hunter said. He levitated down to the deck of the ship.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm gonna make you pay for that," Spiderman said to the Hunter.

"Are you so concerned for someone who was trying to end your pathetic career," the Hunter asked Spiderman.

"You could say that," Spiderman said. "Brock's gonna be dead soon because of you." Spiderman leapt and tackled the Hunter. They landed hard on the deck of the ship. Spiderman reached down and ripped off the Hunter's belt. As the Hunter raised his hands to fire a weapon, his gloves were torn off by Spiderman.

"Nooo," the Hunter cried.

"I'll bet your powers come from this costume you're wearing," Spiderman said. Spiderman reached down and tore the Hunter's boots off. "Something tells me you can't fly without these."

"No! You fool," the Hunter said.

"That looks like all of your gadgets, now let's take that mask off of you," Spiderman said. He reached up and grabbed the Hunter's mask. "Alright, let's see who you really are." Spiderman pulled the mask off. Before he could see the face it hid, he was hit by a massive electric shock.

"I am not so easily beaten, Spiderman," Kevin said as he stood over the unconscious Spiderman. He pulled his mask back on. Next, he pulled his boots and gloves back on. Brock was curled up in a fetal position. "Your days of terror are over, Venom."

"Freeze," a police officer said to the Hunter.

"Not tonight," the Hunter said. He turned invisible and flew away carrying Spiderman.

He landed on a nearby rooftop and laid Spiderman down.

"What to do with you, Spiderman," the Hunter asked as Spiderman began to regain consciousness.

"Uuuuhhhhhnnnnn," Spiderman said as he slowly came to his senses. He was too weak to move.

"Though I intend to take this trophy at a later time, I suppose I should show you I mean to expose your identity to the entire world," the Hunter said to Spiderman. He knelt down and grabbed Spiderman's mask.

"Hey...you...can't," Spiderman said.

"Oh but I can," the Hunter told him, "and I will again." He smiled as he unmasked Spiderman. He did not recognize the face, but that was alright with him. He was trying to make a point. "The next time we meet, I will take this trophy before the world."

"Who are you," Peter asked, still coming to his senses.

"I am the man who will reveal your secret identity to the world," the Hunter said. "I am the Hunter and you, Spiderman, are my prey." he flew away with Spiderman's mask as his prize.


	4. Chapter 4

The Great Hunt

Ch. 4

"I can see now why you had so much trouble with him in the past, Kraven," Kevin said to his mentor.

"Really, Hunter," Kraven told him, "do you feel as though you truly know your prey?"

"I only meant to say that he is a worthy adversary, sir," Kevin said in defense of himself.

"And so you have had your first taste of this Spiderman," Kraven said, "and you have emerged with a trophy. If not for the abilities your suit gives you, you would not have been victorious. Though I used a potion to give me something of an advantage, I instead relied on my prowess as a hunter to stalk, capture, and dominate my prey. You would do well to do the same."

"Agreed," Kevin said.

"Do not forget that you earned your place at my side without those weapons," Kraven told Kevin. "They are tools to aid in your hunt, not the sole means to achieve a successful hunt."

"I see," Kevin said, having a moment of clarity. It was true, he had realized, that he was depending on his weaponry to defeat Spiderman. Kraven's words were encouraging him to rely on his instincts. If anything, Kraven was a good and patient teacher who let Kevin know when he performed well and one that did not mindlessly tell him when he performed poorly. Kraven had a rationale that Kevin could appreciate and learn from. Such discipline.

"This mask is but the first piece of the prey," Kraven said, holding Spiderman's mask. "Now that you have a sense of confidence in the abilities of the suit, you must find a confidence in your innate abilities to defeat a super-powered man on your own terms with your own hands by a means of your own design." Kraven looked Kevin in the eyes. "That is the true power of the hunter. The sheer control he has over his prey. It is the hunter who decides when to strike his prey. The prey shall have no choice but to fall victim to the hunter."

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Peter was still in shock over the incident the night before. Never mind that Venom was there. The big question on Peter's mind was the man who called himself The Hunter. The lion emblem on his costume was obviously a knock-off of Kraven's, but how could there be a connection? Wasn't Kraven dead? If not, how could that be?

Still, Peter's thoughts drifted to Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote. How was Eddie doing, he wondered. Could he survive separation?

"I'm sitting here in class, not paying attention and hoping one of my greatest enemies is alright," Peter thought to himself. "I wonder if any other super-heroes think about this stuff?"

Peter's daydreaming was not lost on Dr. Connors.

"Mr. Parker," Connors said aloud, "could you return to the rest of us?"

The other students laughed as Peter shuffled in his desk in a vain attempt to look like he had been paying attention all along.

"Welcome back," Connors said with a smile.

"Sorry," Peter said.

Connors continued his lecture, but Peter once again drifted away. How could he gain the upper hand against this Hunter? It was obvious that his powers came from his costume, but what a costume it was. The Hunter seemed to have a counter for whatever was thrown at him. Or at least his costume did.

"That's it," Peter thought.

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Stark International was known to be akin to a military fortress. This made perfect sense given that Stark had military contracts and was always ahead of the cutting edge of technological breakthroughs. Even if one was to make it through the vast array of defenses, there was a major hurdle: Iron Man. Though he was, by all accounts, an ordinary man in a suit of armor, Iron Man was not one to be messed with. He was not very friendly either.

"How do I even approach this," Spiderman thought as he breached the outer perimeter of the defenses at Stark International.

He had made it past the security guards undetected. He was Spiderman. But what would he do when Iron Man showed up? They were on good terms as far as Spiderman knew, but this was a little extreme for him to be barging in unannounced. Spiderman perched on the building. He had wall-crawled up several floors when his spider-sense let him know that he was no longer undetected.

"This better be good," the electronically altered voice of Iron Man said as he flew down to meet Spiderman.

"Oh, you know me," Spiderman said, "I get nostalgic and I have to check in with my old buddies every now and then."

"No, really," Iron Man said, "this needs to be very good."

"Ok fine, I need to see Stark," Spiderman said.

"Sorry, he's busy right now," Iron Man told Spiderman, with an obvious disgust in his voice.

"I need his help. I need something that he has," Spiderman said.

"Like what," Iron Man asked, realizing Spiderman was deadly serious.

"A negator pack," Spiderman said, referring to the device Iron Man had used in the past to disable the suits of several of his foes.

"Sounds serious," Iron Man said.

"You could say that," Spiderman told him.

"He'll meet you on the roof," Iron Man said and flew away.

"You could give me a lift, you know," Spiderman said as Iron Man flew away. Spiderman wall-crawled to the top of the building and was met by Tony Stark himself.

"Greetings, Spiderman," Stark welcomed him.

"I figured you would have Iron Man here," Spiderman said as he shook Stark's hand.

"Should I," Stark asked.

"I guess not," Spiderman told Stark.

Spiderman explained what he could about The Hunter's costume. The negator pack, he reasoned, would disable it and allow Spiderman to bring the man to justice.

Spiderman was a well-known loner and Stark knew that it was not easy for him to ask for help.

"I'll design a negator pack that will work on any costume like you have described," Stark told him, "but I have a condition."

"Surprise, surprise," Spiderman thought. He rolled his eyes beneath his mask.

"Iron Man will join you," Stark said in a very matter-of-fact way.

"Oh, I thought you were gonna make me wear a Stark International banner when I used it," Spiderman joked, "but, I'd appreciate the company." He was actually relieved.

"Return in two days and Iron Man will meet you with the device," Stark told him.

In reality, Stark only had to make minor adjustments to the device. He had to make the time in his schedule to do so and to don his Iron Man armor to accompany Spiderman. Also, he wanted a first-hand look at the costume Spiderman had described to him. It seemed to be an engineering marvel. If there was a way to preserve it without fusing the circuits together, as the negator would, he wanted to be able to study it.

Spiderman left Stark International with the sense that he had a fighting chance now. In truth, this Hunter was one of the most formidable foes he had encountered. Spiderman knew that this man wanted to reveal his secret identity to the world. The Hunter had already unmasked him. Was it only a matter of time before he succeeded in exposing Peter Parker as Spiderman?

As Spiderman made his way home, he caught a glimpse of a figure web-swinging through NYC.

"It can't be," Spiderman thought. He headed in the direction of the figure he had seen. He searched for what he thought was Venom, but to no avail.

"Your friend hurt us," the voice called out from nowhere.

Spiderman felt the hit as Venom tackled him in mid-air. They landed on the roof of an apartment building. Venom released Spiderman on impact, sending him into an air conditioning unit. As Spiderman made contact, the unit burst.

"You wanted to kill us, didn't you," Venom asked.

The symbiote was much more intelligent than Spiderman had thought, though Spiderman had no clue about what had happened after he was carried away by The Hunter.

The Symbiote had essentially played "possum" and acted like it was dead. Once the danger was gone, it consumed its host. Born again, Venom proceeded to kill anyone in his way. His new mission, in his twisted sense of justice, was to exact revenge upon the man who nearly caused his demise. The man who lay before him in the familiar red and blue spandex costume was to pay for his misdeeds. But Venom wanted to see Peter's face as he died.

"We were surprised when you tried to kill us," Venom said.

Spiderman jumped up to face Venom. In an uncharacteristic display, Venom stood still, as if to ask for an answer. Did he feel somehow betrayed?

"Brock, you've got it wrong," Spiderman said, though he knew it was useless to try to reason with Venom.

"You got mad when we took your mask off," Venom reasoned. "You hide your face because you're afraid of what would happen if people knew Peter Parker is Spiderman."

"You know I have to protect my identity" Spiderman said, "but, I don't know who the guy in the black costume is."

"We know what happened," Venom said. He fired a webline that caught Spiderman off guard and ensnared him. "We want you to feel like we did." Venom used his organic webbing to form a cocoon around Spiderman. "We want to face the man beneath the Spiderman costume!"

"Mmmmmmffffffffff," Spiderman said as he felt the pressure all over his body. Then, in an instant, his costume, web-shooters, and belt were ripped off of his body. He was released from Venom's death grip and landed on the rooftop clad in his white briefs and nothing more.

"No more mask to hide you from us," Venom said.

"Brock, I tried to save you," Peter said as he stood to face Venom. Instinctively, he pressed on his web-shooters, but they were gone.

"No way to escape this time," Venom said.

Without his spider-sense to warn him, Peter was unable to dodge Venom's webbing. He was wrapped up in seconds.

"We want to watch you die, Parker," Venom said.

Peter felt the webbing constrict around him. It was air-tight. It was over.

"We should have done this a long time ago," Peter heard Venom say. Then the webs released him. As he struggled to breathe again, Peter saw The Hunter and Venom fighting.

"We were hoping you'd show up," Venom said as he webbed The Hunter.

"You are nothing but an annoyance to me," The Hunter told Venom. He used his hands to break Venom's webbing. "You will not ruin my prize."

"We want to fight you again," Venom said as he leapt in the air and pulled The Hunter down to the rooftop. "We want to finish what you started." Venom leapt on top of The Hunter.

"Do you," The Hunter asked. He lifted Venom off of him and tossed the creature over the side of the building.

Peter watched in amazement at how The Hunter so easily handled Venom.

Venom swung around after making contact with his webbing on the side of the building. His tongue flailed as he soared through the air. He saw The Hunter standing his ground.

The Hunter readied himself for hand-to-hand combat. He would not rely on his costume to save him. In fact, he turned his systems off. If he was to prevail, it would be by his own abilities. If he was to die, then so be it. He was calm. As Venom neared him, his mind considered many possibilities. Like a master of chess, he thought out his moves and the possible counters to them. He would choose when to strike. His prey would not be in control.

"Very clever, Spiderman," Venom said as The Hunter leapt out if the way of his bulk. "You send him in to save you again." Venom landed on the rooftop and fired webs at Peter. "We want you to watch us kill him. Then you can watch us kill you."

"You are claiming a victory far too soon," The Hunter told Venom.

"We like it when they have hope," Venom told the ensnared Peter, "it's fun to watch the hope slip from them as we rip their arms off."

Peter was taken back by the coldness in Venom's voice. Brock was crazy. But he never sounded so emotionless.

"We'll be back in minute," Venom told Peter.

The moment was planned in an instant. The Hunter had decided to strike when he saw Venom gloating to the unmasked Spiderman. He did not know where he would attack, but he knew it had to be a key point on the symbiote. Then he saw it. As Venom turned around, the right jaw seemed to light up like the sun to The Hunter. Here was the opportunity. Before Venom knew it, The Hunter struck the hinge of his jaw. The mouth that the symbiote used as the mouth of Venom opened wide. Eddie Brock felt the night air on his skin.

"Kinda cold tonight," Brock's mind wandered.

"How can he do that," Peter wondered as he saw The Hunter strike Eddie Brock's exposed face.

The Hunter punched as hard as he could. The strength boosters in The Hunter's costume allowed him to lift tons. Using the costume, he certainly had the brute strength to hold his own against a creature like Venom. But he had disengaged his costume's electrical system and relied on his instincts. He understood his own abilities as Venom crashed to the surface of the rooftop.

"Wow," Peter thought as The Hunter approached Venom.

The Hunter held out his right hand and fired a tranquilizer dart into Eddie's left cheek. He looked over and saw the unmasked Spiderman transfixed upon him.

"Know my power, Spiderman," The Hunter said to Peter.

Peter watched in disbelief as The Hunter pulled Eddie Brock away from the symbiote.

"This ends here, Venom," The Hunter told Brock.

The man who, only moments before, was wearing the symbiotic suit which made him the super-powered being Venom was now being held by his throat wearing only the black briefs he wore beneath the suit. He was out cold as The Hunter tossed his limp body to the side.

The symbiote seemed confused. It never reacted as The Hunter tossed a vial onto it.

"It is done," The Hunter said.

As The Hunter walked away from the symbiote, a wall of flame surrounded him. He smiled beneath his mask as he heard the final cries of the symbiote.

"Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhttttttttttttt," Brock cried in his unconsciousness, his body writhing. "Hhhhpppptttttffffgggghghghghghhh!"

"He's dying," Peter shouted to The Hunter.

The Hunter walked over to the unmasked Spiderman.

"You're a fool to lament his passing," The Hunter told Peter.

"You're a murderer," Peter said into what he guessed were the eyes of The Hunter.

"Then I beg you to stop me," The Hunter said. "I will face you when you are at least able to wear your costume."

"I don't need a costume to beat you," Peter said.

"I suppose not, but you will feel differently when I unmask you before the world," The Hunter said to Peter. "I would imagine that you would see the need for that piece of your costume."

"Well, here I am," do it now," Peter said defiantly.

"Until next time, Spiderman," The Hunter said as he flew away.


	5. Chapter 5

The Great Hunt ch 5

"It feels weird to put this thing on," Peter thought as he held the mask of his black costume in his right hand. It was the only costume he had since Venom destroyed his familiar red and blues. He pulled his mask on and went out on a mission. He was hoping for a psychological edge over The Hunter by wearing the black costume. Hopefully, The Hunter would think it was Venom and be a little freaked out.

Spiderman swung through the middle of downtown NYC and waited for some sign of his new enemy. It did not take long. His spider-sense alerted him to the danger that approached him. In an instant, his webline was severed and he was forced to cling to the side of a nearby skyscraper to gain a reasonable vantage point.

"I thought you were dead, symbiote," the voice of The Hunter called out.

"Must be invisible," Spiderman thought. His spider-sense was still firing, but he was able to locate The Hunter nonetheless.

"How many times must I kill you," The Hunter's voice called out.

"Here goes...," Spiderman thought as he jumped into thin air.

"Oooofff," The Hunter said as he was tackled mid-air.

Spiderman held on as best as he could, which was difficult considering that The Hunter's costume was coated with some sort of chemical which he could not stick to. He tried to steer them into the side of a skyscraper, but they dodged it.

"You are a vile nuisance," The Hunter told his passenger. He swooped down and felt the body fall away as he lifted up in a quick motion. He saw the black figure land on the rooftop on its feet. "Spiderman is mine."

Spiderman fired his webbing in the direction of the voice, aided by his spider-sense. Though his webbing did not stick, it formed something of a cocoon around The Hunter. Next, he set his web-shooters to fire a thick paste and fired. The webbing adhered to the weblike cocoon already around The Hunter and formed an effective trap. The cocooned form dropped from the open air toward Spiderman and the rooftop

"Oh really," The Hunter laughed as he burst from the webbing, "do you hope to ensnare me like a fly?"

"No just find out where you are," Spiderman said, "so I can do this." Spiderman caught The Hunter off guard as he grabbed the bootjets and flung him into the side of a structure on the rooftop. On impact, the form of The Hunter appeared. "Looks like I broke one of your toys," Spiderman said as he fired a thick webline at The Hunter's head. The blob of webbing hit The Hunter in the jaw. Spiderman knew the impact would not hurt him, but it would provide a distraction. Spiderman ran over to The Hunter, who was still laying on his side, and picked him up. "I may not stick to you, but I can throw you around."

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh," The Hunter said as he flew through the air and landed hard on the surface of the rooftop.

Spiderman ran over to him and planned to disable his costume. The Hunter knew the likely targets his costume presented and raised his hands to fire tranquilizer darts at his enemy. Spiderman fired his webbing and deflected The Hunter's wrist-mounted weapons. The darts fired into the air, missing their target. Spiderman clutched The Hunter's arms and tossed him into the air, only to catch him on the way down with a powerful punch to the gut. The Hunter fell to the ground in pain.

"You'll find that I am not so easily beaten," The Hunter said. He launched an energy net at his attacker. As expected, the net was easily dodged. The Hunter stood and caught his attacker in his arms and applied a bear hug.

"Aaarrrggghhhh," Spiderman cried as he felt the intense pressure around his torso.

As he tightened his grip, the black figure's head tilted back in agony. The Hunter noticed a patch of white skin appear on the neck of this would-be Venom. "A costume," he thought. "The symbiote would not have such openings." It was, he reasoned, where a mask met a shirt. "Spiderman," he said.

"Uhhhnnn, very good," Spiderman said. He used the moment to punch The Hunter in the face. The Hunter released his grip and seemed dazed. Spiderman then pummeled The Hunter with fist after fist of punches. The Hunter fell to the surface of the rooftop when it was over.

"A clever ruse," The Hunter said, "I had forgotten that you had a black costume."

"Yeah, well, I like to keep the psychos on the edge of their seats," Spiderman said. He picked The Hunter up and slammed him onto the hard, unforgiving surface of the rooftop. The Hunter did not move.

"Psycho," The Hunter asked. He threw two energy nets around Spiderman. This time, his aim was flawless. He hit a button on his belt that caused the nets to surge with energy. Spiderman fell to their painful bursts. The Hunter released the energy nets and stood above his prey. Though he had to use his costume to achieve this victory, he had used his own prowess as a hunter in conjunction with it.

Spiderman was motionless. It was the middle of the night, not the right time to publicly unmask the fallen hero. Still, much could be learned from his prey. If he was not going to expose his true identity right now, he would seize the chance to study Spiderman's costume. There was, after all, some mechanical aspect of it that Spiderman used as a weapon.

"You are a worthy adversary, Spiderman," The Hunter said to the unconscious Spiderman. "If I am to truly know my prey, I must learn all I can."

As Spiderman lay before him, The Hunter decided to remove the black costume Spiderman wore. Piece by piece, The Hunter stripped Spiderman's costume off. Leaving only the mask, along with the white briefs and the white tube socks worn under the costume.

"This time, I'll let you wear your mask, I have all that I need," The Hunter said as he held the webshooters in his hands. "These devices seem to be quite central to your powers." He picked up the belt Spiderman had been wearing and kicked the black costume over to the fallen Spiderman. It was obviously just simple spandex and held no key to Spiderman's ultimate defeat. He flew away, eager to study the devices he had taken from Spiderman.

A few moments later, Spiderman awoke.

"He took my costume off," he thought, puzzled. As he pulled the costume back on, he realized that his belt and webshooters were missing. "Great, how am I supposed to get home."

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Though it took some creative hitchhiking, Spiderman made it home. He decided to get some sleep so he would be rested up to meet Iron Man the next day. With the negator pack, they would be able to defeat The Hunter easily.

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Peter woke up the next morning, wondering if his battle with The Hunter was only a dream. His costume was strewn on the floor, but there were no webshooters or a belt to go along with it.

"Better get a shower and meet Iron Man," he thought. After his shower, Peter pulled on a clean pair of white briefs and got his spare webshooters and spare belt out of his closet. He pulled his black costume on and headed to Stark International.

"Very punctual, Spiderman," Iron Man said. "In fact, you're a bit earlier than I was told to expect you."

"I'm a morning person," Spiderman said.

"Why the change back to the black costume," Iron Man asked.

"Long story," Spiderman told him.

"I have the negator pack," Iron Man said.

"Good," Spiderman told him. He reached his hand out to hold it, but Iron Man did not offer it to him.

"Sorry, this thing could disable my own armor," Iron Man said, "I'll hang onto it."

"Fine with me, just use it when you get an opening," Spiderman told him.

Inside the Iron Man armor, Tony Stark hid his nervousness. Against his better judgement, he designed this negator pack to fuse the circuits of any battlesuit, including his own. He was not going to leave anything to chance. He would deploy it. That way he could be sure that his armor would not be affected. He had added a new feature that would cause the affected battlesuit to become brittle and fall off of its wearer. This was an effective feature, but if it was used on his armor, the consequences could be huge.

"Lead the way," Iron Man told Spiderman.

"I guess we'll just go into the city and let him find us," Spiderman said.

"That's the plan," Iron Man asked. He was hoping for something a little more defined.

"Trust me, he'll find us," Spiderman said as he fired a webline, "this guy is good."

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Kevin woke up from a sound sleep and was eager to study the wrist-mounted weapons he had taken from Spiderman the night before. He showered and dressed in his regular clothes, in this case blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Kraven was nowhere to be found.

"Kraven, I have good news," he said aloud as he wandered the mansion.

Kraven was conspicuously absent. "What's going on," Kevin wondered as he searched for his mentor.

"You seek Kraven, the hunter, do you not," a voice called to him.

Kevin turned around and saw a rejuvenated Kraven standing across the room from him.

"Is...is that you," Kevin asked.

"It is," Kraven answered him.

Kevin gazed upon the much younger, much more vital Kraven. "Forgive me, but how did you regain your youth?"

"I never lost it, young one," Kraven said.

"But how can that be," Kevin asked.

"My name will no longer be spoken by one who so falsely claimed it as his own," Kraven said. Behind him, another man emerged. It was the old man.

"I don't understand," Kevin said.

"Of course not," the old man said. His very form changed into that of a muscular man wearing green military fatigues and a white mask.

"You...you're," Kevin said in disbelief.

"The Chameleon," the man said, interrupting him.

"Did you think that I could be so aged and frail from taking the potion," Kraven asked Kevin.

"I thought I was to carry your legacy," Kevin said.

"And you shall," Kraven said, "only at my side, not as I sit and watch from afar."

"You were chosen," the Chameleon said, "to be our weapon."

"Have I been a pawn all of this time," Kevin asked.

"No, young one, but your minor victories are promising to me," Kraven told him. "You are no pawn, to be sure. Together we will hunt Spiderman."

"I needed you to rouse Kraven from his self-imposed exile," the Chameleon said. "The two of you will join forces to finally expose Spiderman's true identity to the world."

"This does not make sense," Kevin said.

"It does make sense. You have caused the true Kraven to come forth," the Chameleon said. "It was my true goal all along to bring his glory back. I never expected you to be so...powerful, Hunter."

"I will complete your training and together we will destroy Spiderman, young one," Kraven told Kevin. "You have shown that you are worthy of your name, Hunter. Now we shall act as one. Now we shall finish what has been started in my name."


End file.
